OMG. Patrick Rothfuss is best buds with Lin-Manuel Miranda and they're doing a TV prequel to Kingkiller Chronicles, while Felicia Day plays Poppy the Dragonologist AND Amazon wants to do a Tolkien series. And that doesn't even begin to shed light on how good our book pick Doomsday Book is. But the piece de resistance of the show is one man's story of losing power and trying to read.

TRP: Neil Gaiman just announced that Josie Lawrence will play Agnes Nutter in the TV adaptation of Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, WitchShe played the same role in the BBC radio adaptation of the book a few years back Good Omens: The BBC Radio 4 dramatization Josie Lawrence is an excellent comic actress and a skillful improviser (especially songs) who people may know from her appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway. Also I'm seeing her in the play that Neil Gaiman mentions in a couple of weeks.

Terpkristin: Tor.com says that the TV adaptation of Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle will be "The Kingkiller Chronicle" and will be on Showtime and has a showrunner. John Rogers is the showrunner (The Librarians, Leverage, Transformers, per Tor.com). Apparently the announcement also included something for fans to chew on. Per Tor (emphasis mine):"Set in the world of the wildly popular fantasy series by Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicle will follow a pair of wandering performers on their adventures through the unique and startling world of Temerant, immersing audiences in a universe of unexpected heroes, mystical places, and terrifying dark forces. […] The television adaption is a subversive origin story of legendary proportions set a generation before the events of the trilogy’s first novel, The Name of the Wind." Rogers tweeted "A generation is a very, very *specific* amount of time. It'll make sense later." I guess I may have to get Showtime...

Silvana: Amazon in talks about adapting Lord of the Rings into TV series Hmm. Why not The Hobbit? While the LOTR movies are not perfect, there are also still other stories in Middle-earth worth exploring. The Silmarillion for instance. Feanor, Turin, Luthien, there are so many stories there. Anyway, if they stick with LOTR I hope there will be Glorfindel and Scouring of the Shire. And maybe Tom Bombadil.

To Say Nothing Of The Dog" is Connie Willis' friendly nod to Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Dog)", a humorous book from the late 19th century, originally planned as a serious travel guide, and then gone haywire.

I have a goal of 24 books to read in 2017. I'm at 18. Only 6 more to go. I fell behind a little during the summer but have been working hard to catch up. This 18 is already a huge accomplishment for me as I haven't really read anything since I was in middle school.

Here's the dilemma. I'm a slow reader, and I really, really, really want to read The Way of Kings by Branden Sanderson. Hope that's spelled right. As most you may know the book is 1,000 bajillion pages long, and I might as well throw out my goal for this year. So, should I read The Way of Kings? Or focus on shorter books to knock out my goal before reading it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Out.

George

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Apocalypse Diary, Day 3 - without electricity, I have been plunged back to the '70s... the 1870s. Read a book about a similar apocalypse (The Fifth Season) by firelight and candlelight. Plugged phone into car and drove around to recharge it. Okay, it's a weirdly advanced 1870s. Alt universe, clearly.

The plague has struck down my nearest neighbors, who live on the hill across the woods. The lone survivor trekked over to offer a cup of jolt, which I have gladly accepted. Our suffering bonds us.

The heavens are troubled no more, the sunlight shining brightly down through ice-blue skies and skitters across the fallen frosted leaves. It is almost enough to make one forget the devastation wrought by the storm which hath brought us so low.

I feel an especial kinship to my compatriots to the south who suffered a similar fate not long ago, although I daresay they are not also dealing with freezing temperatures. But this is not a competition, nor what we elders termed a "pity party" in those long-ago '70s. I keenly feel empathy in our shared plight.

The animals and I have retreated to our demense's great room, huddled by the fire. I envy them their obliviousness to our suddenly shifted lot, and wonder which will eat me first. My money's on the Chihuahua.

Diminutive demons and pint-size princesses will cavort and gambol this eve, begging for treats I do not have. Their tricks may push our fragile existence beyond the brink. Perhaps they will accept spoilt cheese as a bribe to stay their hands?